(ESPNCRICINFO) – SOUTH Africa won their first T20I in eight attempts (outside of World Cups) against West Indies to take the lead in the three-match series. Crucially, their captain Aiden Markram fresh off a SA20 hundred, reached his highest T20I score of 86 not out and could not have chosen a better time to find form. After struggling through most of the last 18 months in this format, Markram appeared in fine touch and hit nine fours and three sixes, and faced only eight dot balls in a dominant win.
Chasing a reasonably challenging total of 174, Markram combined with Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Ryan Rickelton for partnerships of 83 and 93 respectively, which meant South Africa’s powerful middle-order could take the night off. South Africa sealed the win with 13 balls to spare.
West Indies lacked any stands of similar significance. While Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell shared a sixth-wicket stand of 74, there were no other partnerships that reached 40 as West Indies lost batters too often. Hetmyer top-scored with 48 while South Africa’s left-arm spin duo of George Linde and Keshav Maharaj took five wickets between them.
West Indies were off to a flying start thanks to Brandon King’s 23 off 14 balls and an opening stand of 39 inside four overs but South Africa struck quickly to peg them back. Maharaj bowled Johnson Charles before King got down on one knee to sweep Corbin Bosch and played the ball onto his stumps to begin a trend. Sherfane Rutherford was unable to build on his SA20 form and when Maharaj found turn and bounce, he fended and chopped on as West Indies closed out the powerplay on 57 for 3. Then, in the 12th over, stand-in captain Roston Chase, playing in his 50th T20I, tried to hit Linde over cover and played on. West Indies were 95 for 5.
Hetmyer takes on Maharaj
Though Maharaj took two wickets early on, he was on the receiving end of some of West Indies’ biggest hits from Hetmyer. With West Indies’ 100 up in the 14th over, Hetmyer decided to up the ante, advanced on Maharaj and hit him 102 metres into the Paarl air for his first six. Two balls later, Hetmyer came down the track again, and sent the ball into the wind and over deep mid-wicket for a second six. Maharaj’s final over cost 16 runs and he finished with figures of 2 for 44 in four overs: the most expensive of his T20I career. Hetmyer went on to top-score with 48 and was dismissed by a relay catch from Dewald Brevis off Linde.